Battery insulator tube manufacture



May 26, 1953 Filed Feb. 25, 1949 H. J. BERENSON BATTERY INSULATOR TUBE MANUFACTURE 3 Sheets-Sheet l uwsm-o& HENRY J. Bees/vs! AM,MW

ATTORNEY May 26, 1953 H. J. BERENSON 2,639,647

BATTERY INSULATOR TUBE MANUFACTURE Filed Feb. 23, 1949 5 Shee h 2 BY MJMwAr-ZJIZA A-r-ronn Yi May 26, 1953 H. J. BERENSON ,6 7

BATTERY INSULATOR TUBE MANUFACTURE Filed Feb. 23, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 .mmmmnnnnmi f g. 6a HENRY J. (Smash/sad M, Mr 4% ATTORNEV$ Patented May 26, 1953 BATTERY INSULATOR TUBE MANUFACTURE Henry J. Berenson, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to National Paper Can & Tube Company, Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application February 23, 1949, Serial No. 77,871

23 Claims. 1

This invention relates to battery insulator tube manufacture.

i It is the particular object of the invention to devise automatically operable means for the high-speed production of cardboard tubes flanged inwardly at one end and slightly expanded at the other for use as liners in battery dry cells. Tubular blanks are cut from an elongated tube and delivered to a hopper which forms a part of the present mechanism. The cutting operation leaves the ends of the blanks very slightly turned inwardly. In the finished product, it is desirable not merely that one end of the blank have a substantial inward flange, but that the other end of the blank be slightly expanded. .In order to achieve these objectives, successive blanks are delivered into the path of a supporting die upon which they are-advanced to a curling die, and it is my purpose to .provide novel and improved means for exerting pressure, first,

upon the end of each successive blank to impel it into the spinner, and finally, upon the interior of the flange formed in the curling die, whereby to burnish and set the flange.

It is my further purpose to provide automatically acting means for holding the blank against rotation during the curling operation, such means being also adapted to retract the blank from the curling die during mandril retraction so that the blank will be left in position for expulsion from the machine when the respective blank moves into position. For thus holding the blank to the mandril, I have disclosed two arrangements useable alternatively or together, one of which comprises a tapering shoulder on the mandril which wedges in the end of the tubular blank during the flange forming operation. For stripping the blank from the shoulder wedged therein after the blank has been retracted by the mandril from the curling die, I use an expansible collet as more particularly set forth hereinafter.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a curling tool which may be rotated if desired, depending on the type of material used in the tubular blank and the type of curl or flange required at the end thereof. If, as is the case with battery liners, the paper of the blank has been treated with asphalt, the curling the may well become fouled with the asphalt unless the die is rotated, in which case it is selfcleaning by reason of the rotation.

Details of the mechanism and specific objects of the invention can better be disclosed in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

, Fig. 1 is a view in axial section through apparatus embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a view in perspective showing portions of the mandril, expanding collet, and actuating parts.

Fig. 3 is a view in transverse section through the apparatus substantially in the plane indicated at 3--3 in Fig. 1.

Figs. 4., 5 and 6 are fragmentary detail views showing successive operations of the blank, the mechanism being illustrated substantially from the same viewpoint as in Fig. 1.

Figure 6a is a partial, enlarged view of Figure 6, showing in greater detail the position of the work piece, the mandril and the collet, which they occupy in Figure 6.

Fig. 7' is an enlarged, perspective, detail view of the blank before it is acted upon in the present mechanism.

Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view of the finished product made from the blank of Fig. 7.

i The machine frame at 9 supports a hopper Hi to which the blanks ll may be delivered by means of trough I 2.

As indicated in the drawings, the cutting operation, which has severed the blank from an elongated cardboard tube, has resulted in very slightly curling the ends inwardly as indicated at l3 inFig. 7, the effect being necessarily, exaggerated for the purposes of this disclosure.

Offset: laterally below the lower end of hopper it! is a bracket M to which successive blanks are, delivered in the course of reciprocation of the ejector I5. The ejector is actuated in a retrac- .tive manner by a spring it connected with the frame. -It-.is advanced by a rack I l meshing with pinion 18 which has a limited oscillatory movement imparted to it by a link l9 provided with cam follower 2!] riding on a cam 2| which is carried by drive shaft 22. The link may be slotted to'receive support from the drive shaft. The drive shaft is actuated from motor 23 by means of belt 24 and pulley 25, the latter being mounted on a jack shaft 25 having a pinion 21 meshing with a gear 28 on the drive shaft 22.

Another gear at 29 on the drive shaft meshes witha gear 3% which is connected with sprocket This sprocket actuates a chain 32 to drive thespinner shaft 33 which carries the cup-shaped curling die 35 (Figsal, 4, 5-and 6). The curling die is desirably heated by means of an electrical resistance 36.

In many cases, the die need not be rotated. Its curling operation is just as satisfactory when the "die'is not rotating. The rotation is useful, however, to make the die self-cleaning, when, as in battery liners, the work piece has asphalt on it. Rotation also burnishes.

When the ejector l5 pushes the lowermost blank I! to the left of the bottom of hopper H] as shown in Fig. 3, the blank rests upon bracket I 4 in axial alignment with the curling die 35. Also aligned with the blank H in this position of the parts is a non-rotatable mandril die which, when the blank is deposited on bracket I4, is in the retracted position shown in Fig. 1. The forward portion 4| of the mandril may be slightly concave at its end (Fig. 6) and is turned down to a slightly smaller diameter than the portion 42 thereof, which has a radius that, .in actual practice, need be only .015 inch greater than the radius of mandril portion 4]. The enlargement is effected at a tapered shoulder 43, which may be of the order of three quarters of an inch in' length, the taper being very gradual. It is, of course, important that the diameter of the taper entering the end of the tube be slightly greater than the internal diameter of the tube, as the wedged. engagement of the taper in the work piece is relied upon to withdraw the tube from thecurling die.

The portion 42 of the mandril is guided within a sleeve 44 mounted for limited reciprocation through a bearing 45 carried by portion 46 of the frame. The mandril has a much greater range of reciprocation than the sleeve 44, being actuated by a rack 41 which is provided with helically cut teeth 48 meshing with the helical teeth .45 of gear 5D. This gear oscillates, rather than rotates, upon a stud shaft 5|. Oscillation isimparted to it by a connecting rod 52 pivoted to the crank at 53 upon the gear, and to the crank 540m the gear 28. The crank 54 hasa small radius, and the crank 53 a relatively larger radius, so that the rotation of cam 21 and crank.54 merely produces oscillation of crank 53 and gear 50. In the course of such oscillation, the mandril 45 is fed forth and back between the retracted position of Fig. 1 and the advanced position of .Fig. 6. The movement of the actuating rack 41 is communicated to the mandril by means of an arm 55 mounted on the mandril and connected with the rack as shown in Fig. 1.

The forward end of the reciprocable sleeve 44 is provided with a beaded flange 56 over which are engaged the separable segments 51 of a collet. The segments are bound together by a'pair of contractile springs 58 extending about the collet segments in engagement with peripheral grooves therein. Internally, the segments constituting the collet are tapered at '59 complementary to the tapering shoulder 43 of mandril 140.

Clamped externally upon the sleeve 44 is a bracket 50 having a standard at 6| to which is pivoted the arm 62. This arm carries the yieldable shoe 63 biased downwardly by compression spring 64 (Fig. l). Torsion spring 65 holds the arm 62 and shoe 63 in the normally elevated position shown in Fig. 1. However, upon the ad- Vance of the reciprocable sleeve 44 and bracket 60, against the bias of tension spring 66, the arm 62 encounters a cam 61 having a fixed mounting onthe frame of the device, whereby the arm '62 is forced downwardly to engage the concave lower surface of the shoe 53 with the top periphery of the blank I IV which is resting on bracket M in forming position.

The movement of the reciprocable sleeve 44 with standard 60, arms 62 and shoe 63, is limited in a retractive direction by engagement of brack- 4 et with the bearing 45. In the opposite direction, its movement is limited by a nut 68 threaded to the rear end of sleeve 44 and ultimately engageable with a series of shim washers 69 at the other end of bearing 45.

The mandril 46 has threaded to it a nut 10 and lock nut H which position thereon an elastic cushion or rubber spring 12 which, in the axial advance of the mandril, ultimately strikes the flange-like nut 68 at the rear end of the reciprocable sleeve 44.

The operation of the parts is as follows:

The blank or work piece I I, being supported in registry with the curling die 35, is entered by the reduced outer extremity 4| of the mandril 40 in the advance of the mandril. Early in the mandril advance, its spring 12 engages sleeve 44 and its tapered portion 43 engages the tapered inner surfaces of the collet segments 51 to draw forwardly the collet, sleeve 44, bracket 60, arm 62, andv brake shoe 63. By thetime the parts reach the position shown in Fig. 4, the arm. has passed beneath the cam 67 to force the shoe-63 into engagement with the work piece I I, thereby securing the work piece against rotation while its end is forced into the rotating spinning die 35.

In the continued advance of the mandril 40, the leading end of work piece II is flanged inwardly by the curling die 35 as indicated at 15 in Fig. 5. The work piece is held non-rotatably, being clamped between the mandril 45 and the shoe 83, also being held tightly against the mandril 40 as the blank rides up on the taper 43 thereby wedging the rear end of the workpiece I I on the tapered shoulder 43. Eventually, the reciprocable sleeve 44 will. have moved with the mandril to the full limit permitted by contact of the flange 68 with the shim washers 69 at the end of bearing 45, as shown in Figure 5.

Furthermandril movement is desired, since the end portion 4| of themandril has not yet seated against the inwardly turned flange .15 of the work piece. Such further advancing movement (toward the left as viewed in Figure 5) is accommodated by deformation of the elastic spring 12 as shown in Fig. 6, whereby the inner portion, of themandril presses the flange 1501 work piece ll tightly into the curling tool to burnish (if. necessary) and set the flange. During the further advancing movement of the mandril 40 the workpiece 1], the rear end of which has been wedged on tapered shoulder 43, will ad- Vance with the mandril 40.

In theretractive movement of the mandril. the operations are the reverse of those described. As the .mandril commences its retractive movement, the rubber spring expands to the condition of Fig. 5. During the expansion of the rubber spring 12 the mandril 40 will first withdrawthe work piece II from the curling die 35 sincethe rear end of the work piece I I continues to be wedged on the tapered shoulder 43, thereafter thc 'collet strips the work piece from the tapered shoulder which has expanded its end. The stripping operation does not commence until the blank with'end flanged is fully removed from the curling die. The subsequent movementof the mandril is accompanied by retractive movement of sleeve ,44- under tension of spring 66 exerted throughthe bracket 60. When the parts finally reach the position of Fig. 1, the mandril has been fully withdrawn from the work piece, and the clampingshoe63 isdisengaged, freeing the work piece for ejection from its supporting 5 bracket 14 when the respective work piece is delivered from the hopper onto the bracket.

It will be observed that a number of lost motion devices are actuated in sequence in the course of the advance of the mandril 40. First, the mandril 40 has independent movement from the position of Fig. 1 until the tapered shoulder 43 engages the complementary tapers of the collet segments 51, at which time the rubber spring 12 will engage the flange or nut 68 at the rear end of the reciprocable sleeve 44. Thereupon, the sleeve will move forwardly with the plunger. In the course of this movement, the shoe 63 will be forced down into clamping engagement with the exterior of the work piece H, which is already interiorly supported by the front end pr-; At this point, the

tion 4| of the mandril 40. downward movement of the arm 62 is arrested, but the arm and sleeve continue their forward movement with the mandril, the collet engaging the rear end of the work piece to forcc it into the curling die as shown in Fig. 5. At this point, the further movement of the sleeve 44 and asso ciated parts is arrested by contact of the flange or nut 68 with the washer shims 69, but, due to the elasticity of the rubber spring cushion 12,: the mandril is permitted to continue its advance, spreading the segments of the collet to permitv the tapered shoulder 43 to enter into and expand and thereby hold the rear end portion 11 of the work piece, while the forward end portion of the inner die or mandril is setting the flang l5.

The collet has been found to be an extremely effective means of assuring the advance of the work piece in the first instance by engaging the rear end of the work piece and forcing it into the curling die as described above While the mam dril and collet move from the position Of Figure 4 into that of Figure 5. The collet thereafter holds the work piece in position while permit ting the tapered shoulder to advance through'it for expanding'and holding the work piece as it moves from the position of Figure 5 into that of Figure 6 while the work piece is initially still held under thrust pressure by the collet segments. Finally, the ballet strips the work piece from the mandril during retractive movement thereof after the workpiece has first been withdrawn from the curling die by the continuing wedging action exerted thereon by the tapered shoulder of the mandril.

I claim:

1. In a device for curling the end of a tube, combination with a curling die and means for holding a tubular workpiece. in alignment therewith, of an axially reciprocable mandrel having a tapered shoulder and a reduced work-supporting terminal portion adapted to freely enter the workpiece, means for effecting Work-curling relative movement between the mandrel and the die and. means for guiding the mandrel for recipro cation to and from the die, the length of said terminal portion beyond the shoulder being such that it may extend substantially through the workpiece before the tapering shoulder enters the workpiece for the holding of the end thereof remote from the die, the said tapered shoulder wedging in the workpiece for the withdrawal'of the workpiece from the die in the reciprocation of the mandrel from the die.

2. The device of claim 1 in further combination with work engaging means positioned to en-' gage the workpiece during reciprocation of the mandrel in withdrawal from said die, whereby to strip the workpiece from the tapered shoulder the after the workpiece has been retracted from the die and during continued mandrel withdrawal.

3. The device of claim 2 in which the stripping means includes an expansible collet comprising segments having inwardly tapering surfaces complementary to the tapering shoulder of the mandril and contractile spring means biasing said segments toward the mandril.

4. A device of the character described comprising the combination with a mandril mounted for longitudinal reciprocation and provided with a tapering shoulder, of a curling die to and from which said mandrel is reciprocable, means for effecting relative rotation of the mandrel respecting the die, a sleeve within which said mandril is fitted, and means mounting the sleeve for limited reciprocation with the mandril, and a collet comprising sections individually interlocked with the sleeve for movement therewith, the said sections having inwardly tapering portions complementary to the tapering shoulder of the mandril and adapted to ride thereover upon relative movement between the mandril and collet, together with means biasing the collet sections toward the mandril.

5. The device of claim 4 in further combination with means for reciprocating the mandril and a compression spring normally free of said sleeve and adapted in the course of mandril reciprocation to engage said sleeve for the advance thereof with the mandril, said sleeve being provided with means limiting its motion, whereby continued mandril advance will compress said spring.

6'. The device of claim 5 in further combination with a support adjacent the path of mandril advance for holding a tubular work piece to be entered by said mandril, anda clamp co-acting with the mandril to secure the Work piece against rotation thereon, said clamp being mounted for movement to and from the mandril and having an actuating connection from said sleeve to be operated toward the mandril upon the advance of said sleeve toward said stop.

7. In a device of the character described, the combination of co-axially mounted spinning and mandril dies, means supporting the spinning die for rotation, means supporting the mandril die for axial reciprocation to and from the spinning die, driving connections to the respective dies for their rotation and axial reciprocation respectively, the spinning die having means for acting on the terminal margin of a tube which is interiorly supported by the mandril die, a shoe movable laterally to and from the mandril die for clamping the tube, and lost motion connections for actuating the shoe in the course of reciprocation of the mandril die.

8. The combination set forth in claim '7 in which said lost motion connections include an operating part connected with the mandril die, an operated part spaced from the operating part in the retracted position of the mandril die whereby to accommodate a predetermined advance of the mandril die before the operated part is engaged by the operating part, one of said parts being yieldable whereby to accommodate continued independent movement of the mandril die following the conclusion of movement of said shoe.

9. The combination set forth in claim 8 in which said operating part comprises a yieldable cushion.

10. In a device of the character described, the sub-combination which comprises a mandril, means supporting the mandril for reciprocation,

means-for reciprocating the mandril, a sleeve upon the mandril, means mounting the sleeve for reciprocation, said mandril and last mentioned means having stop portions engageable to limit sleeve movement, and a yieldably cushioned actuating element carried by the mandril and enageable with the sleeve for advancing the sleeve in the course of mandril reciprocation.

11. The device of claimlllin which said element comprises anelastically deformable rubber cushion.

12. In a device of the character described, the sub-combination which comprises a mandril having a reduced terminal portion and a tapering shoulder leading thereto, a sleeve encircling the mandril and with respect to which the mandril is reciprocable, and a collet comprising separable segments individually interlocked with the sleeve and having inwardly tapered inner surfaces complementary to the tapering shoulder of the mandril, the said sections being provided with an encircling spring contractingly biasingthem toward the mandril.

13. The sub-combination defined in claim 12 wherein the interlock between the mandril segments and the sleeve comprises a peripheral rib on the sleeve, the said segments being shouldered to engage the sleeve and channelled to receive the rib thereof.

14. The sub-combination defined in claim 13 in further combination with means for yieldably transmitting movement from the mandril to the sleeve.

15. The device of claim 14 in which said yieldable movement-transmitting means comprises a rubber cushion carried by the mandril, the said sleeve having a surface engaged by the cushion to receive propulsion therefrom axially of the mandril.

16. In a device of the character described, the sub-combination which comprises amandril, a sleeve thereon, a bracket connected withthe sleeve, an arm pivoted to the bracket and having a free end portion movable toward and from the mandril, and a clamping shoe mounted on said free end portion of said arm and engageable with the work piece on the mandril to hold the work piece to the mandril.

17. The device of claim 16 in which said arm comprises a cam follower and is biased away from the mandril. l

18. The device of claim 17 in which said shoe is provided with a stud yieldablymounted in the free end of the arm, the said arm being provided with aspring biasing said stud andshoe toward the mandril.

19. The device of claim 18 in which the mandril is provided with yieldable means engageable with said. sleeve for the advance thereof with the mandril.

20. A device of the character described comprising the combination With a hopper and a support spaced below the hopper, the said hopper being adapted to deliver tubular work pieces to said support, of a curling die adjacent the support and adapted to act upon a tubular work piece to flange the end thereof, a work piecesupporting mandril mounted for-reciprocation-in alignment with the curling die and adapted to enter a work piece and to'urge the work piece toward the die; the said mandril beingprovlded with 'a, tapered shoulderadapted mentor and hold the end of the work 'piece'remote from the die,- a member mounted'for limited reciprocation with the mandril, a sectional collet encircling the mandril and mounted on said member, said collet having portions interiorly complementary to the tapered shoulder of the mandril and having terminal portions engageable with the work piece and urging the work piece toward the die, and means mounted on the mandril and comprising lost motion connections for actuating said member in the course of mandril reciprocation.

21. The device of claim 20 in which the means comprising lost motion connections constitutes a rubber cushion carried by the mandril and spaced from said member in the retracted position of the mandril, the said cushion being adapted to engage and advance said member after the mandril has had a predetermined independent advance,.the said member being provided with a support having stop means engaged by said member after limited advance thereof, the said cushion accommodating continued advance of the mandril after said member has stopped.

22. The device of claim 21 in which said member is provided with a pivotally movable arm and means for the support thereof from said member, the arm being provided with a clamping shoe movable on the arm to and. from the mandril, together with means for forcing the shoe to the mandril in the course of the limited advance of said member, whereby to hold the tubular work piece against rotation on the mandril while such work piece is being pressed toward said die by said collet, the end. of the mandril being adapted in the final movement thereof to engage and compress the flange turned by said die.

23. The device of claim 22 in which the means for forcing the shoe to the mandril comprises a stationary cam, a portion of said arm being formed to constitute a cam follower engageable with the cam in the course of member advance, the cam being bevelled to urge said arm and shoe toward the mandril, and the shoe being provided with a mounting yieldable respecting the arm.

- HENRY J. BERENSON.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES. PATENTS 

